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http://w3.misterhouse.net:81/

... and here's a site for automation hardware -- I'm sure there are others:

http://www.smarthome.com/

It's like any other field of hackery: if you want its benefits, even those you dream up, you'll tweak it until it delivers.

I'm somewhat hard to wake up at the best of times. Not good when there are kids to be gotten up, fed and clothed and off to catch the schoolbus on time. I use a combination of cron and X10 stuff to turn on lights before the alarm clock (so I'm almost awake), then play WAV sounds as timing chimes (even a Morse countdown to when each schoolbus is due to go by). In the evening, the same system turns on lights, reminds me to get up and fix dinner, drops the kids' Net access with firewall rules and time-chimes bath- and bed-times. After bedtime, a light-killer script runs for awhile to make those bedroom lights stay off.

To get my relatively simple system working right, I've gone so far as to open up X10 relay modules and clip out the local-sense resistor, so the Compact Fluorescent lamps I drive with them will stay off, and throw together a CGI buttons page on my LAN specifically to drive X10 units.

You can take it a lot further than I have (look up MisterHouse to see a comprehensive system that even yields fuel savings), but, like anything else that's worthwhile to implement, it'll take some money, some time and some learning; it's up to you where that fits into your scale of values.

Have a look at http://www.misterhouse.net/. Opensource home automation goodness!

cheers

You can actually do all this, and it's not that difficult. Try http://www.misterhouse.net/ for opensource home-automation and enjoy!

I used to run misterhouse at my old dwelling, I had it set up to do basic alarm functions based on a door switch, and an ibutton for authentication. I had it play clips in the ST computer voice as prompts. "Please enter security authorization", "authorization accepted" etc. I always wanted to find a voice synth that I could just plug in to misterhouse. A man can dream.

Gates: What the consumer wants is pretty clear: a single remote control that lets them navigate photos, music, videos, TV in a very rich way. They want to see that on any screen in the house and then have a great portable device where they can take that stuff wherever they want anytime. The full realization of that dream is still years away, but we've taken a dramatic step in delivering that with Media Center.

I think it'd be great if we could beat Microsoft to the punch by offering all of this and more using Linux and open formats (not WMA Bill!). It seems like there is already a lot of work in the area going on (MythTV, Freevo, Mister House, VLC) but is any of this ready to be easily set up by the average Joe? Is there any work being done to put all the pieces together. Perhaps a modded distribution geared specifically to creating and setting up a Media Center type environment. Not only could a Linux based solution put anything from MS to shame it could also force Movies/TV/Music industries to support open formats if the Linux Media Center becomes the dominant player.

Am I dreaming or can the open source community take the lead here?

Use a timer. A basic four or six zone timer with battery backup will be far more cost effective and reliable than a computerized and connected solution.

Just like the urban legend you repeat, this is an exaggeration at best. Most of the smart controllers (e.g.) (e.g.) (e.g.) are based on relays which make them not connected. And you can still operate the valves manually.

A basic timer can't prevent overwatering. With a software solution (like the aforementioned MisterHouse) or controller-based solution (like a Stargate or an Ocelot, both of which have sprinkler system support) you have the ability to disable watering if there is rain (or better yet when there is rain in the forecast). I've even heard of systems disabling watering when the temperature drops below a certain point (to prevent icing) or when the windspeed is above a certain level (thanks to a pc-compatible weather station or simply pinging the National Weather Service feeds). When everything is connected, you have lots of options. View through the webcam shows your lawn a little brown? Go to your home's sprinkler page and turn that zone on for 20 minutes. It's a tinkerer's (or perfectionist's dream).

That being said, it will be more expensive if you do not also automate your home in other ways (lighting, HVAC, whole-house audio, etc.) but if you're into saving water, chances are you'll want to save energy, too. Sure, you can get timed HVAC controllers and motion-activated lighting. But when you have multiple disparate systems, all of which require "programming" in different ways, and none of which can be affected by the others... is that really simpler?

"Code has been written for DSC Alarm pannels, Stargate LCD displays, Slinke IR send/receive, Marrick X10, RCI X10 sprinklers, Xantech preamps, ISDN modems, voice modems, ComPool and Aqualink pool equipment"

http://www.misterhouse.net/

There's several perl sprinkler scripts ...

Try MisterHouse.

For one, we'd finally have a Star Trek(TM) interface for our homes!


what you are looking for is called misterhouse

It interfaces with the IBM via voice apps as well as other items to give you what you want.

it's not perfect as voice recognition is only slightly better than it was in the late 80's but it's what you are asking for.

and AMX/Panja has a turn-key system they you can buy and have installed for around $50,000.00 that also can do what you want, I saw a demo of that system last weekend in a home around here. It only would recognize the owners reliably (same as most VR ssytems) but did recognize my voice on some basic commands.

Well, since you said "geek style", you could take a look at what the guy over at misterhouse.net has rigged up. Besides the standard lights on/off at certain times, etc., he's even got two 2 GPS APRS equipped cars he's tracking. (All working just great until they steal your computer and ham radio...) ;)

Well, since you said "geek style", you could take a look at what the guy over at misterhouse.net has rigged up. Besides the standard lights on/off at certain times, etc., he's even got two 2 GPS APRS equipped cars he's tracking. (All working just great until they steal your computer and ham radio...) ;)

It's pointless because many of us are adjusting our temperature via the web already. RS232-Controllable thermostats have been around for years and can be controlled by every home automation software product available.

The one I use can be retrofit to communicate over your existing HVAC wires to a central controller. I use Misterhouse (open-source home automation software) to control it. Misterhouse has a web interface, but I rolled my own (BTW, I can also control my lights and my whole-house audio system, and I'm installing a sprinkler system which of course I'll add to the web interface).

If everything I have connected had its own IP address, its own web server, and its own interface, it would actually be less convenient.

It's pointless because many of us are adjusting our temperature via the web already. RS232-Controllable thermostats have been around for years and can be controlled by every home automation software product available.

The one I use can be retrofit to communicate over your existing HVAC wires to a central controller. I use Misterhouse (open-source home automation software) to control it. Misterhouse has a web interface, but I rolled my own (BTW, I can also control my lights and my whole-house audio system, and I'm installing a sprinkler system which of course I'll add to the web interface).

If everything I have connected had its own IP address, its own web server, and its own interface, it would actually be less convenient.

I've considered that, but you are ignoring the most expensive part of all that: my personal time in setting that up and getting it balanced out to where my family and I find it usable. It is the difference between a TiVo and MythTV: where I am concerned I would choose the latter, but because my family gets put into the equation I go with the former. Could I have gone with a Radio Shack learning remote? Sure, but throw my then-6-year-old into the mix and I went for the Pronto so that they don't have to remember "AUX1 is for this, but you have to hit AUX2 anbd power after that." I don't want the family to have to reboot the system because they're friggin freezing and some stupid patch hasn't been put up on a site yet. Besides, a lot of the digital thermostats from sites like SmartHome integrate into MisterHouse which runs on Perl and doesn't bog my server down. Best of both worlds.

How about combining IPchains, MythTV and/or Freevo with MisterHouse and some X10 equipment on a commodity $300 1.5-2 Ghz machine?

Not to dispair, lots of other people make hardware compatable with the X10 protocall.

check out SmartHome for the hardware and Misterhouse for the open source software.

The stuff is child's play to set up, and hard as hell to troubleshoot if you've got problems. I've been using X10 based items for 5 years now, and still several times a week, the computer will pick up line noise as a command and all sorts of funky stuff happens (wall switch units seem to be the worst offenders).

Happy to answer any X10 protocall questions anyone here might have - but truly I am a novice.

Chilean scientists have determined that a 12-meter mass
of flesh discovered recently on a Pacific beach is actually CmdrTaco.

See
What
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Mean?

http://sourceforge.net/projects/misterhouse/

http://www.misterhouse.net:81/

Hardware List (taken from FAQ:

(Google Cache)

6.8 What sort of hardware do you have in your house?

This is what is currently (04/2001) in Bruce's house (see mh/docs/mh.* 'List of supported hardware interfaces' for more info):

- Mh running on a dual 600 PIII Win 2K box great for quick mh debugging :)

- SB Live Value sound card (supports simultaneous sound sources)

- PCI ByteRunner 8 port serial card

- PCI phone modem for callerid logging and announcements

- Linux box for hosting misterhouse.net

- 5 other networked computers for mp3 client/servers, shoutcast server, games, writing, and work from home

- Radio Shack PA amp with a PA speaker in each room

- Wiring closet with 3 DIO weeder cards and 2 analog cards

- 16 relay card from jameco for PA speaker switch

- Home brew motor/relays for up/down control of 9 Window quilt curtains

- RF sensor in the mailbox across the steet

- WX200 weather station from Radio Shack

- Relays controling garage door and furnace heat and fan

- Digital input sensors on doors and garage door

- A few iButtons for testing

- X10 IR commander and CM17 for sending IR signals

- X10 CM11 with X10 consoles in each room for control

- X10 motion sensors, light, and appliance modules

- Matrix-orbital LCD keypad for local output and control

- WAP cell phone for remote queries and control

- A ham radio TNC for tracking 2 GPS APRS equipped cars

- NetGear router with mh monitored SYSLOG data for tracking internet traffic

- MSVoice VR via a Andrea Desktop Array microphone

This doesn't sound like anything new. Any CCF format device such as a Pronto featured at RemoteCentral can handle your A/V equipment. There is software and hardware for controlling this on an iPaq. Using a BX24-AHT which is currently compatible with the Misterhouse home automation system, you will soon be able to control your lights and other X10 modules from such CCF devices by simply adding a $7 IR receiver. Add some IR repeaters around the house and you can control it all from anywhere in the house. Use something like a wireless Aquapad to access the home network and the Misterhouse web interface to control it all. What "Future"? The tech is already here. Just use it.

Of course there's also the server-based home-automation project which controls everything from X-10 to IR to 802.11b, with Tk, command line, voice, WAP, and HTML interfaces: www.misterhouse.net

... when these guys stumble across Misterhouse.

Move along... nothing to see here.

- dvd_tude

By the same doctrine, computerized systems can be booted on the day before the sabbath and then put on an autmatic mode during the sabbath. During that time, a sysadmin can address important issues as they creep up, just like he would add a log to the fire he started before the sabbath.

IANAR (I am not a Rabbi), and it's been a long time since I was in Yeshiva, but...

There are actually a whole class of non-allowed form of "work" (there are a few different words for work in Hebrew; the relevant one here is "Melakhah"), derived from work done in building the temple. One of them is "writing", which probably rules out anything involving a keyboard. Since most admin tasks, as I see them, involve either typing or power-cycling something (and many other involve speaking on the telephone or carrying a pager), it looks like the sysadmin has the day off.

I'm pretty sure that you can program a Linux system to do pretty much everything it can do non-interactively, and let it run on the Sabbath. Heck, you could have a whole Mister House thingie happening -- as long as you weren't triggering events.

OTOH, IMHO, (YMMV, IIRC, MOUSE), there's an odd amount of emphasis put on this stuff by people who have only a rhetorical interest in it. If you're honestly interested in following these guidelines, there are lots of very good places where you can learn about them (either on line or, for example, the Chabad house at most universities). Before sweating the details, someone who is that interested can try keeping kosher, attending services, or keeping the Sabbath or holidays in more general ways. I don't anymore, but there are groups that will welcome your interest and answer honestly asked questions sincerely.

Hop over to the main web site at http://misterhouse.net or the sourceforge web site at http://sourceforge.net/projects/misterhouse/ -- this guy's been working on this for years. It's all done in Perl, works on *inx and Win32 platforms, with open-sourced code. Misterhouse does all the X10 stuff, can be voice driven and speaks itself, play mp3s, etc., etc.

He has a number of interfaces, including a Tk and a HTML version. This is an important point, because a lot of folks commenting mention most of this can be done, but I think Rob's point is that such a box should be accessable to the average consumer. A home-built brew isn't that, and the confluence of tech needed to make it happen is way out of the reach of the average consumer as well. Projects like Misterhouse aren't perfect, but make it a lot closer.

You are not limited to one house code for the entire house...I have all my motion sensors on 'A', everything downstairs on 'D', the Master Bedroom is 'C', the other bedrooms are on 'B', and the outside lights and pool area are on 'O'. I use Mister House as the home automation system. I have palm pads about the house, set to the proper code for that area. I decided to run all the wire myself...I tapped into the cable and phone system on the outside of the house and ran it into a closet. From this closet, I ran 1 Cat5e, 1 Cat5, and 2 RG6 cables to each room. I figured that the Cat5 would be for phones and the Cat5e would be for the Lan. The Lan lines are connected into a 24 position patch panel, then wired to the switch. The Cat5 is run to a punch down block. I already have three phone lines active in the house, so you can plug into any one of the numbers. I'm wishing that I had run a second Cat5e to each room. For video, I put the cable box, DVD player, sat dish, and vcr on modulators and fed that back into the basic cable line (filter strips off channels 68 - 106) to run out to all the rooms. Want to watch a DVD in the kids room? Turn to Channel 92. Cable box to watch a scrambled channel? 94. For all unscrambled channels, just turn to it. Extra RG6 is to feed more signals back into the video run (maybe another VCR in a room on a modulator.) What I learned from doing all this: 1 - All the information you need is on the web. Just look for it. 2 - I'm not a carpenter. I really screwed up the drywall. 3 - It really isn't mentally difficult, but can get physically difficult. 4 - Next house will already have all the wires run :-)

Here's a good page for starting on that "total solution" misterhouse.net Its a PERL based program that has built in support for lots of different smart housing toys, including X-10 stuff.....it also has links to all the stuff it supports.....check it out! it may be just what you are looking for

http://misterhouse.net/

--

Go buy yourself a bunch of X-10 parts and download MisterHouse. Assuming you've already got the Linux box and the net connection, the rest is simple.

I did this last summer, so that I could turn on my air conditioning shortly before leaving work. When I got home, it would be pleasantly cool. Since my work hours varied widely, this worked better than the timer solution.

The obvious next step, which should be easy once I get the time: use my Motorola T900 two-way pager to send myself email which turns my air conditioner on and off. Granted, this probably isn't necessary, but it sure seems neat.

Welcome to the future.

=-=-=-=-=

Voice Recognition is could be overrated, but not for the reasons you outline. The primary motivation for VR is not to help "administrative assistants" create documents faster or easier. VR is great for applications like Misterhouse, which controls X11 devices and things around a house. You can say stuff like, "Read the Slashdot news" and your computer can recognize that and use the Festival text to speech engine to read it to you.

VR will be used for this and accessibility. You won't see typists flock to this technology.

Dave

I envision a system largely based on states and transitions. I.e. if no one is home, the next logical transition is someone arriving home. In the evening when watching TV, the next logical transition is everyone goes to bed. Then what happens when motion is detected in the hall is based on whether we were watching TV, in bed, or out of the house, etc.

I can easily see the application of fuzzy logic to detect these states and transitions. I have some code which you might be able to call fuzzy logic already that decides whether or not hall lights are necessary, but this clearly doesn't approach the complexity of neural nets.

The problem as I see it is the writing of the rules to detect these states and transitions. I'm a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of writing rules to predict "bedtime" when it might involve season, holidays, tomorrow's appointments, the activity level of the previous day, etc. Can't a neural net be used to infer the relationships between all these things?

Another thing that I thought NNs were good for is coping with unreliable inputs. You can read with only one eye, you can walk with a bum leg, you can understand speech even in a loud room, etc. This aspect of NNs seems applicable to home automation. If I have a NN trained to recognize when I'm watching TV, maybe it won't freak out when I get up and go to the bathroom. Maybe it'll figure out that I went to bed even though the battery is dead in the hall-way motion detector, or more likely with X-10, the indication of motion was the victim of an X-10 collision.

After buying an average of 8 CDs a month since 1988, I have over 1100 CDs. After spending months ripping to MP3, I have 70+ GB sitting on SCSI drives (I put each album in it's own folder with an Artist (year) - Album Name format to make it easy to select a directory in Winamp).

I'm now trying to get MisterHouse to read that many playlist :-)

Wired homes aren't for only the rich. Check out Mister House, an open source project for home automation written entirely in perl and runs on linux and win32. Very cool stuff. Voice activate and everything...

Dave

How about internet *controlled* houses? If you haven't seen the MisterHouse project, it's worth a look. MisterHouse is an open source, mostly perl-based system which allows you to control your home (and most of its electronics) via a web browser. Anywhere.

The link is misterhouse.net